Love Me, Love Me Not
by Romulan Empress
Summary: Spock is on a mission for the pro-unification group and is forced to stay with a woman he detests. Rating for later chapters. Response to a challenge. SpockOC
1. Aircar Agony

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except the OCs, the town (though it is modeled after a town in the French Alps I stayed at last summer), and anything else you do not recognize. Spock's Romulan name and the woman's name come from some Voyager books I read.  
  
This is a response to a challenge from the TOS Fanfiction Yahoo Group. It is a Spock/OC love/hate story, and I will try not to get carried away with the romance like I usually do! It takes place early in the twenty-fourth century, fifty or so years before the TNG era. R&R please!  
  
Spock's POV:  
  
Spock sat in the aircar, waiting for the Romulan he was supposed to meet. The woman, whoever she was, was taking him to a small town in some mountains where it was rumored that there was a pro-unification group. He and the woman were being sent from the unofficial unification headquarters in the capital city to this town to find out if the rumors were true and if so, to tell them about their friends in the capital.  
  
The town, by name Telzah, was very small and considered only a vacation spot. The year-round population was very small, around five hundred, but there were several little chalets. It was not very technological, as most of the people had jobs with the Romulan equivalent of cows. It was in the mountains, and those mountains were the best places for skiing in the winter on Romulus. It was late summer, and Spock and the Romulan were to stay as long as needed.  
  
They were to pretend to be a husband and wife on a vacation, away from all the hustle and bustle of the capital. Spock was to go by the name Telek. The Romulan woman would keep her own name. And it appeared like that was her coming from the distance. She drew nearer, and Spock saw that she was very pretty, though she showed a distressing amount of emotion on her face.  
  
"You are Spock, I presume?" she said, standing outside the entrance to the aircar.  
  
"Indeed," Spock replied. "And what is your name?"  
  
"Jekri," she said as she tossed with bags without any particular care into the back.  
  
"Please try not to put anything on the burgundy colored bag. It contains some very sensitive equipment," Spock told Jekri.  
  
"Your bag is fine, Spock," Jekri said impatiently. "Remind me why we can't just transport to the chalet?"  
  
"People do not transport to vacations like this," Spock explained. "They like the drive, for the scenery and the joy of being together."  
  
"If I get airsick, it's your fault," she said shrugging and flopping down on the seat next to him. Spock could already tell that he was not going to get along with Jekri. She seemed more of the Doctor McCoy type of person. This was going to be one very long aircar journey.  
  
Jekri's POV:  
  
Jekri shot another glance at the Vulcan sitting beside her. Were all Vulcans such perfectionists? They had to do it properly, so they had to go in an aircar. She hated those things because she always seems to get sick on them. She could not touch his burgundy bag because there were delicate instruments. She had tossed all her bags in and not even looked where they had landed. And now they were just sitting there. In silence. Completely bored.  
  
"Do you mind if I turn on the radio?" Jekri asked at last. (A/N: Or whatever the twenty-fourth century equivalent of a radio is!)  
  
"No," Spock said. Jekri quickly tuned into her favorite station and turned up the volume. That was better. She could not stand silence. She looked at Spock and saw him flinch at the volume.  
  
"Is it too loud?" she asked.  
  
"What?" Spock replied.  
  
"Is it too loud?"  
  
"I cannot hear you."  
  
"Do you want me to turn it down?"  
  
"What?" Jekri sighed and leaned over.  
  
"IS THE MUSIC TOO LOUD?" she screamed in his ear.  
  
"Oh. Yes," he responded.  
  
"DO YOU WANT ME TO TURN IT DOWN?" she asked.  
  
"Indeed."  
  
"Computer, decrease music volume by ten percent," she said. She leaned back, satisfied, missing the annoyed look that passed over Spock's face.  
  
Spock's POV:  
  
This reminded Spock of the time he was on a bus in the twentieth century, and a man had his radio on very loud. Spock had nerve pinched him. If Jekri had not been vital for the success of their plan, he would nerve pinch her too. Did she have to be so careless all the time?  
  
Right now, she had leaned her seat back and closed her eyes and was rocking gently to the music. Were it not for the blaring music, it almost would have been peaceful. Spock decided that he liked her best when she was saying and doing nothing. He decided to use to the time catch up and his reading. He took out a padd and started reading a fascinating report on some obscure science thing that no one else could spell, let alone be interested in.  
  
Eventually, Jekri stopped rocking. Was she asleep? Spock waited a few more minutes. When he was almost positive, he turned off the music. The silence felt wondrous.  
  
"How can you read?" So Jekri was not asleep.  
  
"What do mean?" Spock asked.  
  
"Reading in aircars makes me sick," Jekri said, still not moving or even opening her eyes.  
  
"We must have something different in our bodies," Spock said. He was about to go into an in-depth discussion about balance, but Jekri spoke again.  
  
"That's nice. Can you turn the music back on?"  
  
"I would prefer silence for a time. Vulcan ears must be more sensitive than Romulan ears."  
  
"I am just used to it. My parents always hated my music too. Computer, turn the music back on."  
  
"Computer, keep the music off."  
  
"Turn the music on."  
  
"Keep the music off."  
  
"Music on."  
  
"Music off."  
  
"On!"  
  
"Off."  
  
"On!"  
  
"Off."  
  
"Can you stand not having your way for a few little hours?" Jekri asked in frustration.  
  
"I can."  
  
"Then let me keep the music on."  
  
"No."  
  
"We are supposed to be pretending to be married! A marriage is give-and- take!"  
  
"You may listen to your music if you have headphones," Spock said.  
  
"Fine, fine," Jekri grumbled. She out them on and cranked the volume up again. Spock could still hear it quite clearly. He shook his head and went back to his report, but found himself thinking, 'Only four more hours, only four more hours, only four more hours..." 


	2. Bedroom Bickering

Bookwormqueen: I am happy you liked it! Here is part two! Thank you for giving out the challenge.  
  
Jekri's POV:  
  
Jekri was floating in that blissful semi-conscious state, between sleep and wakefulness. It was completely silent, and there was a warm presence nearby. It was rather peaceful, but even in this state the silence bothered her. She also became aware that the presence nearby was not as nice as it had seemed in sleep. It was doing something...  
  
"Jekri, Jekri..." it said. Well, at least it was not silent anymore. What did this thing want? It was shaking, no, it was shaking her.  
  
"Jekri, wake up. Jekri..." Jekri groaned, more awake and realizing that the presence was that annoying Vulcan, Spock.  
  
"Don't wanna wake up," she said sleepily, rolling over in the reclined chair away from him.  
  
"Jekri, we are five minutes from the chalet. You must wake up."  
  
"Shaulay?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, Jekri, the chalet," Spock said. "You must pretend like you were awake and enjoying the ride."  
  
"I'm awake, dammit!" she snapped.  
  
"You might want to fix your hair and adjust your make-up. You look like you just woke up."  
  
"Spock. I'm not wearing any make-up." There was an awkward silence. "Well, now that you have finished ordering me around and insulting me-"  
  
"I was not insulting you. It might actually be complimentary because it means your face looks beautiful without make-up."  
  
"Like a Vulcan male would know or care," Jekri said sarcastically. Why did it have to be him she had to live with for who knew how long?  
  
"I do know and since I have no emotions, you are right about the caring part."  
  
"Thanks. Thanks a whole lot." Jekri was already at the end of her rope and it had not even been two minutes. She ran a hand through her hair, wincing at the knots she felt. There was no way she would look presentable in five minutes. Suddenly she felt a hand on her hair. It pulled it back and out of her way, then secured it somehow. She spun around.  
  
"What did you do with my hair?" she demanded of the Vulcan.  
  
"It was the only thing I could think of in our limited amount of time," Spock said. "Do not worry; I have used it before and it looks fine."  
  
"How would you have learned something like that?" Jekri demanded.  
  
"I had to make one of my protégés look presentable very quickly a few times. She had hair like yours, only curlier."  
  
"Someone willingly agreed to be your protégé? I find that hard to believe." Yes, Jekri was making good use of her sarcastic side.  
  
"Actually, two Vulcans females, Saavik and Valeris, did. They were at different times, of course."  
  
"I am sure they were scarred for life," Jekri said.  
  
"Saavik is now an excellent officer in Starfleet. Valeris..." he trailed off. Jekri frowned. So even Vulcans could be reluctant sometimes. Something really bad must have happened to this Valeris girl. Naturally, curiosity got the better of Jekri.  
  
"What happened?" she asked.  
  
"Look, there is our chalet," Spock said. He landed the aircar in the parking lot. The chalet (which I am modeling after the one I stayed at in France, again) was a wooden, two-story building. It looked more like a simple house than anything. It was also very primitive. Jekri suppressed a sigh of dismay. She felt like she was stepping back in time.  
  
Spock's POV:  
  
Though he did not show it, Spock was very agitated. He did not like talking about Valeris, Jekri reminded him more than ever of Doctor McCoy, and his home for who knew how long was some place where only Jim Kirk would go, that is, had he been alive.  
  
He and Jekri exited the aircar and grabbed their bags.  
  
"Hello!" a few Romulans called cheerfully from where they we sitting at a small table next to the entrance.  
  
"Hello," Jekri and Spock replied, Spock forcing himself to smile.  
  
"You are Telek and Jekri, I presume?" one of the men said, getting up and coming over.  
  
"We are," Spock replied.  
  
"Wonderful! I am Symakhos; I run this place, along with my wife," he said. "Here are your room keys. There are eight rooms, all on the second story so you should have no trouble finding yours. Dinner is in about a half hour. You come down and talk beforehand though."  
  
"Thank you," Spock said. "I believe my wife and I will be unpacking and getting used to our new room, though."  
  
"Of course, carry on," Symakhos said. Spock and Jekri went up the stairs and found Room Three. Spock ran one of the electronic keys in front of the sensor. The fake wooden door slid open soundlessly.  
  
It was a very simple room. There was one bad, not terribly large, a small desk and chair, a dresser and mirror, a small wardrobe, and a bathroom with a toilet, sink, and shower. Jekri took a scornful look at the bed.  
  
"Okay, you are sleeping on the floor," she announced.  
  
"I am not," Spock said calmly. "We must keep up the marriage thing, even here. What if there is a fire and someone comes in to get us? Besides, that floor will surely get very cold, as this is-"  
  
"A glorified log cabin?" Jekri asked, smirking. Spock looked at her for a moment.  
  
"Yes," he said, and Jekri almost thought she saw him smile. It was gone in less than a second though. Spock did not know what had just happened. He watched as Jekri opened a dresser drawer and a suitcase, and began tossing things in no particular order into the drawer. He rolled his eyes at her back and began putting his own things away, much more orderly and carefully.  
  
"Remember, you have the left side of the dresser," Jekri said. Spock did not even dignify this with a response. Jekri threw the last shirt in her side and managed to sort of close the drawer. She then kicked her bags aside and walked over to the bed.  
  
"Do you mind if I make the comforter into a barrier?" she asked.  
  
"Yes. Vulcan is much hotter than Romulus and I will need to comforter."  
  
"But there are no extra pillows in the room and to ask for more would look suspicious," Jekri said.  
  
"True," was all Spock said. He took both his bags and hers and dragged them into an out of the way corner.  
  
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Jekri cried. She ran over to a bag, grabbed something, and ran back over to the dresser. Of course, she promptly opened a drawer on the left side.  
  
"I believe that the left side was mine," Spock said, coming dangerously close to humor.  
  
"Tribble shit," Jekri said, slamming the drawer. She turned on Spock. "How do you do that?" she demanded.  
  
"How do I do what?" Spock asked, wisely choosing not to comment on her interesting choice of exclamations.  
  
"You make me so damn mad," Jekri laughed. "First you drive me to sarcasm, then I cuss a dresser out, and now I am laughing!"  
  
"I am simply acting as I normally do," Spock said, unnerved by this very emotional Romulan. She and Bones must have secretly teamed up somehow. He was close to believing that himself.  
  
"That's nice. Do you have any chocolate? I'm starving."  
  
"I promise that you are not starving and no, I have no chocolate," Spock said. Had the chocolate disease that only seemed to affect females spread to Romulus too? Next she would be asking for diamonds. "However, dinner does start in ten minutes. You could go downstairs and wait. She tilted her head at him.  
  
"I think I will," she said. "Least I can get away from you for a while, she muttered, probably thinking he could not hear her. She left and he looked at the clothes tumbling out of the dresser.  
  
'She is going to kill me,' Spock thought as he made his way over to repair the damage. 


	3. Chatting Challenges

TrekkyGirl55: I am glad you liked it! I had fun writing it.  
  
Bookwormqueen: No deaths in this chapter, but who knows next chapter? Read the story to learn about the hair thing. :)

Lessa: Thanks. I only did that because I was not sure how clear it would be. Your suggestions are appreciated and I am happy you like it.  
  
Somehow, three stairs from the bottom, Jekri managed to trip and fall. Of course, she missed the carpet and had to land on the wooden floor.  
  
"Are you alright?" a voice asked from somewhere above her.  
  
"Yeah. Fine. Thanks," Jekri muttered at the floor.  
  
"Here," the person said and a hand was put in her line of vision. Jekri grabbed it and let the person help her up.  
  
"My name is Taveth," she said, smiling. "You are Jekri, you have to be, and... where is Telek?"  
  
"Tele- wha- oh, Telek is still unpacking," Jekri said, almost forgetting that Spock was going by the name Telek.  
  
"Okay. Do you want to meet some of the other guests in the few minutes we have left?"  
  
"Um, I would like that." Taveth led Jekri to a small room with a bookshelf, two tables, and a third table with a game similar to pool on it.  
  
"Oh, and that is a nice hairdo. Could you show me how to do it sometime?" Taveth said to Jekri. What had Spock done with her hair!?  
  
"Alright," Jekri said nervously. Taveth led her around the room, making introductions until another woman came into the room.  
  
"Dinner's ready," was all she said. People got up and headed for the door.  
  
"That was Symakhos' wife," Taveth said. "She does most of the cooking around here. Some of the guests help her sometimes too." Jekri came out of the room and saw Spock standing at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Hello Telek!" Taveth said cheerfully. "Jekri told me all about you! My name is Taveth."  
  
"Hello Taveth," Spock said, smiling. He was a very good actor, in Jekri's opinion. If she had not known better, she would have thought the smile to be genuine. He came over to them, shook Taveth's hand, and embraced Jekri. Yes, he was a very good actor.  
  
"Spock," she whispered as they walked, "what did you do to my hair?"  
  
"I put it in a style first invented by humans, called a messy bun. They think it looks stylish, but can also be a cover up for true messy hair."  
  
"Joy," Jekri said, her sarcastic side already taking over. They entered the dining room and were surprised to find one long table with benches along each side. Jekri, Spock, and Taveth sat on one of the benches in front of three place settings. Jekri reached for a bowl, but Taveth stopped her.  
  
"Not everyone is here yet. This is not like a normal hotel. We are almost stepping back in time here, to the days when there were only a few people and everyone cared for and helped everyone else."  
  
"That is, of course, why we chose to come here, remember, sweetheart?" Spock said. Jekri found it hard to stop her laughter.  
  
"Of course, darling," she said, grinning in what she hoped everyone else thought was happiness.  
  
Symakhos was the last to come in.  
  
"Hell all," he said cheerfully. They all greeted him back. "As several of you know, we have two new guests, Telek and Jekri. With that out of the way, go eat!" He smiled broadly and sat down.  
  
Spock helped himself to a few things and concentrated on appearing happy. He could already tell that this was going to be harder than it had seemed. He looked over a Jekri, who was chatting merrily with the people across from them. On his other side was a couple with a small daughter. All in all, there were twenty-one people, including the hosts, himself, and Jekri.  
  
Spock ate slowly, making little conversation and instead choosing to observe. Jekri, on the other hand, was barely touching her food.  
  
"Jekri, you might want to eat. We planned to go hiking tomorrow and you need food." Jekri looked at him, smiling.  
  
"Okay," she said, still sounding rather distracted, and dug into the meat dish.  
  
"So what are you going to do tonight," Taveth asked.  
  
"I think that we will wander around Telzah a bit," Spock told her.  
  
"Not much room to wander, as there is only one main street and all the others lead up into the mountains," Taveth smiled. "I suggest you go to the pool. That is what most people here do at the end of the day."  
  
"I love swimming!" Jekri interrupted. "Sp- Telek, can we go, please?"  
  
"If it will make you happy," Spock said.  
  
"Yes!" Jekri ate faster after that. Soon she and Spock were back in their Room Three. They quickly changed, Jekri all but shoving Spock into the bathroom. Spock stood waiting for the inevitable. It came.  
  
"Spock! Why did you rearrange all my things?" Spock came out of the bathroom.  
  
"The dresser drawers were not closing, so I took the liberty of organized your clothes." Jekri rolled her eyes.  
  
"Okay, where is my swimsuit?"  
  
"It is in the top drawer," Spock said, on top of your towel.  
  
"Right next the underwear, I presume," Jekri said sarcastically.  
  
"Actually, it is next to the-"  
  
"Never mind. I do not think I want to know."  
  
Half an hour later, Jekri and Spock looked over the crowded pool area. There was a very large normal pool, a Jacuzzi, a small pool with a waterfall, and a pool with a waterslide that came down from the roof, where there was another small pool and sunbathing places.  
  
"Wow," Jekri said. Telzah was recreation heaven. Spock, thankfully, only nodded.  
  
"I am going in the Jacuzzi," Spock said. Jekri looked at him, wide-eyed.  
  
"We have all this cool stuff and all you want to do is go in a Jacuzzi?" she asked in shock.  
  
"Yes," Spock replied. Jekri shook her head. She wanted to try the gigantic waterslide. So she did. She had fun. She even persuaded Spock to get out of the Jacuzzi and go down with her. He had only gone when she told him it would do a whole lot to further the husband-wife image. Jekri would have paid big money for someone to take a picture of the Vulcan holding her in his lap and shooting down the slide.  
  
By the time they got back to the chalet, Jekri and Spock were both exhausted again. They avoided Symakhos' invitation to socialize, saying that they were going to get an early sleep. When they got to Room Three, Jekri threw herself down across the bed and sighed.  
  
"That was fun," she said. Spock did not respond, but proceeded to get his pajamas and change.  
  
"Jekri, you should go change and allow me half the bed," he said.  
  
"That's nice," she said, yawning. However, she got up and changed in the bathroom. When she came back, Spock was lying on top of the covers on his side of the bed, eyes closed.  
  
"Well, Mr. I-need-the-comforter, it seems as though you have fallen asleep without anything," Jekri said. She was sarcastic even when he slept! He had to be getting to her. She was very surprised when he responded.  
  
"I am merely meditating. I am not asleep."  
  
"Okay..." Jekri said, a bit disturbed. She climbed onto her side of the bed and immediately fell asleep. Spock looked down at her, expressionless, and pulled the covers over himself as well. He too fell asleep very quickly.


	4. Dancing Day

Bookwormqueen: Your story is interesting. I will keep reading it. A lot of the story is based on last summer's trip to the French Alps, but as for everything else, not even I can navigate the tangled depths of my mind. :) I actually generally just write a chapter and post it immediately, so I do not plan it in advance or anything. Thanks for the compliments!  
  
TrekkyGirl55: Jekri is insane. I love writing her! I liked the whole Spock- on-a-slide thing too. Thanks!  
  
Sorry about the long time with no update! I was focusing on my Harry Potter stories for a while (check them out if you like Harry!), especially after seeing the third movie. I should update Attack of the Trekkie Trio soon too! Have fun with this chapter right now though!  
  
Bright sunlight shined through the window on two sleeping forms. The one closer to window stirred and stretched. His hand bumped into the other person. Spock looked to his left, mildly surprised to see Jekri there for a moment. Then all yesterday's events came rushing back. He checked his timepiece, and it read 0603 hours. He decided to let Jekri sleep for another hour and go down and get his own breakfast.  
  
There were three other people there, a boy and a girl who both looked about twelve and a girl who looked about four. Spock smiled at them, remembering to be emotional and grabbed a piece of toast.  
  
"Mr. Telek?" the older girl asked.  
  
"Yes?" Spock asked, remembering his Romulan name. She ducked her head, blushing, and said nothing more. Spock was about to ask what she wanted when he realized that she simply wanted to make sure that that was his name. Emotions beings were confusing!  
  
At precisely 0700 hours, Spock tapped Jekri on the shoulder.  
  
"Go 'way," she muttered.  
  
"Jekri, you must wake. We are leaving at 0800 hours and I thought you would want an hour to get ready."  
  
"I'm up, I'm up," she muttered, waving him away. She rolled out of bed... literally. Spock smiled and went downstairs. He found a decent book on the bookshelf and settled down to read it. 0730 hours came and went. Then 0745 hours. At 0750 hours, Spock was slightly worried. By then, almost everyone else was up and there was still no sign of Jekri. At 0758 hours Jekri dashed down the stairs and looked around frantically.  
  
"Sp- Telek! I am so sorry... I took a bit of a long shower..." She ran over to him and dropped her voice. "Oh, and Taveth cornered me and asked me to do that hair-do for her I had yesterday. I told her I did not have time this morning, maybe tomorrow." Spock looked calmly at the Romulan, who looked completely apologetic and upset.  
  
"I have some food in the aircar," was all Spock said, and with that he got up and offered her his hand. Jekri was more than a little bit confused. She had expected him to be upset, but then again, he was a Vulcan. They flew to the hiking trails in silence, Jekri eating the replicated breakfast bar and Spock concentrating on the road.  
  
Jekri really did feel bad. Not that she cared at all what Spock thought of her, but she did not like to be the one who was always late. Spock seemed so perfect. He was always on time. He was a good actor. His life was perfect! She was simply a screw-up who had joined a unification group because she had wanted to be a rebel. She knew that if there was unification, she would have a very difficult time acting Vulcan.  
  
Jekri still did not understand why she had been chosen for this project. She could she was Unification HQ wanted people here to meet a real Vulcan, but why her? She was never good at pretending anything. She had always been very in the real world. She and all her friends had thought a girl named E'Terla would be chosen, because to her, it was like every day was a chance for more stories to be made up.  
  
So absorbed was Jekri in her thoughts that when the aircar touched down, she did not even notice. Spock had to shake her shoulder before she realized that the trip was over. When they got out, Jekri could immediately see why Spock had chosen this trail. There were several people to talk to and get the feel of the town. Spock took two backpacks out of the trunk and gave one to Jekri. Wordlessly, she put it on.  
  
"Say something," Spock hissed in her ear. "We are supposed to be a married couple on vacation, not two people who hate each other and are trust together. 'That is exactly what we are,' Jekri thought sarcastically.  
  
"Thanks," she said with an exaggerated smile. He smiled back and led the way towards a large trail.  
  
"This one leads to a lake with a bit of a beach. It would take us about three hours to hike there, we could stay for about two hours, hike back, and be at the chalet by 1800 hours. What do you think, dearest?"  
  
"Sure," Jekri said. She felt sure she was going to explode from trying to keep from laughing. At first the trail was nice and wide and flat. They walked that way for about an hour, making small talk (though Spock was very bad at this), and greeted others on the trail. Then of course, Jekri had to spot a side trail that looked like a shortcut.  
  
"Honey, we make get there faster and besides, have a bit of privacy along the way," Jekri said. She started up the side trail. Spock smiled mentally and started after her. Maybe some other couples would have the same idea and they would be able to talk to them. After a half hour however, Jekri regretted seeing the trail. It had grown steadily steeper and now the Vulcan and Romulan almost had to climb.  
  
At last, about another half hour later, they reached a- there was no other word for it- small cliff. Spock immediately began scaling it.  
  
"What are you doing? Are you mad? I cannot rock climb!" Jekri cried.  
  
"I learned how by being friends with Jim Kirk for several decades," Spock said calmly. "It is actually not hard. Come join me and I will help you." Jekri sighed and place a foot on the cliff, wondering how this could possibly work. After Spock showed her how to find little places she could hold to, Jekri found he was right and climbing was quite simple.  
  
Jekri scampered up the cliff, going ahead of Spock despite his warnings and his asked her not to get too far ahead. She did not need his "protective" presence. She reached the top of the small cliff and looked down at Spock. Spock was calculating every move and carefully choosing where he put his hands and feet, unlike Jekri's "just-be-able-to-move-before-it-crumbles" attitude. Spock slipped just once near the top, before he too joined Jekri.  
  
"The carefree attitude gets you farther, quicker," she laughed as she tossed her ponytail back, almost hitting Spock with her elbow. From that point, it was a small five minutes to the lake.  
  
"Jekri?" Spock asked when they got to the lake.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked.  
  
"I have not been to that many... picnics..." he began awkwardly. Jekri laughed. She helped him set up the picnic and pretty soon they were eating sandwiches and staring at the Romulan children splashing about in the water. It was actually quite peaceful, despite the fact that some woman was screaming at her children that they were not swimming until they finished their lunch.  
  
"You know, Spock," Jekri began. Spock turned his deep brown eyes on her. "My choice of trails actually was not that bad. I learned to rock climb, and we saved forty-five minutes. Do you want to go down that way?"  
  
"Be careful where you call me Spock, even if we are a bit distanced from other people. If Romulan hearing is anything like my hearing, you will want to use Telek." That was all he said. He noticed Jekri looking at him, clearly waiting for him to say more. He stayed silent. She clearly wanted him to get a bit emotional. He knew that when emotional being got annoyed, they tried their best to annoy the person who annoyed them.  
  
The Romulan equivalents of flies and ants came by and the sun steadily warmed the beach. Spock enjoyed it very much, coming from a desert planet. Jekri was clearly too hot. Someone started some music and people started dancing on the beach. It was an ultimate vacation... for an emotional someone.  
  
"Come on, Telek!" Jekri said suddenly. "Let's go dance; I cannot stand just sitting here."  
  
"I do not dance; you know that, Jekri," Spock said. Jekri rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. Spock sighed and got up. After yesterday's waterslide fight, Spock knew that Jekri was like a bulldog. She did not give up. One dance would also help to further their image.  
  
Of course, Jekri turned that one dance into four. Spock at last managed to tell her that he wanted to sit down for a minute and let her stick her feet in the lake. He sat down next to a Romulan whose three children were swimming.  
  
"Telek, is it?" he asked.  
  
"Yes," Spock responded.  
  
"You and... is she your wife... look like you are having fun."  
  
"She is my wife. Her name is Jekri."  
  
"My wife and I are here to celebrate our anniversary. Eleven years have gone by. What is your occasion?"  
  
"I managed to get some time off work in the city, and my wife had always wanted to have a nice vacation in the mountains. She is hoping to stay until the beginning of winter and see the snow. She loves skiing." That was how long he and Jekri were technically supposed to stay there.  
  
"If I got that much time off work, I would head off planet somewhere," the Romulan said, waving his arm towards the sky.  
  
"Where, Vulcan?" Spock asked, both to attempt sarcasm and to find out information. The man laughed, so Spock knew his first attempt was successful.  
  
"I hate those unification cretins," he said casually. "I am just glad that there are none in Telzah. If any came, the town would trample them though. We do not like that, not at all, here."  
  
"Of course not," Spock said, laughing too. But he could not wait to get back to the chalet and report the results of his first question. The man was clearly not faking. He went and got Jekri, and they headed back to the chalet... the long way. 


	5. Exciting Escapades

Bookwormqueen: I will not answer, but I do have a plan! It should be revealed shortly.  
  
Data: Yay, you are reading this! I will finish my others (though I removed WYHCIAH; I am going to redo it) and I am glad you like this one!

MySchemingMind: I am gald you like this! I hope you can read the rest. I believe that poor Telzah would actually be most accurate... LOL

Damia Alders: I am happy you like it! Sorry about the slow updates.

Jack Sparrow Fanatic: I really like you. Thank you for giving me four good reviews in one day! LOL FFN will not let me post the link to the group- try e-mailing MySchemingMind. Also, I agree about the whole non Spock/Christine thing. : )

Yes, it is me and my slow updates. I am also going to France for five weeks very soon, and I am moving, so there might not be anymore updates until the middle of August. I am posting as much as I can while I still can though! Thanks for putting up with me!  
  
Jekri did not know how she managed to survive the next weeks. Spock, she concluded, was insane. He was completely and totally insane. Every morning he woke up before her. She imagined that he woke up before the birds themselves. When she asked though, he simply said that he woke up within five minutes of 0600 hours every morning. This, of course, only annoyed her more.  
  
"You could just say you wake up at six," she suggested.  
  
"That would be a lie, for I do not awaken at 0600 hours every morning," he answered calmly.  
  
"It's called rounding," she said slowly, as though talking to a small child.  
  
"Vulcans are as precise as possible. It could save your life someday, Jekri,"  
  
"Is it your sole mission in life to torture me?"  
  
"It is not."  
  
"Argh! You were far from accurate there!"  
  
"I was not." Knowing that saying anything else would only cause him to give her one of those emotionless and aggravating answers, Jekri stormed off to the dining to have breakfast, muttering something about dealing with Vulcans before having caffeine in the morning.  
  
Another thing that drove Jekri batty was that every single day, he had a schedule drawn up for the two of them. If Jekri wanted to spend the day sitting at a café and eating ice cream, would write that down like a planned activity. And heaven forbid that she ask if they make a quick stop somewhere on the way home from something. Jekri did anyway though, and sometimes managed to get her way.  
  
"You know, Spock, normal couples like spontaneous activities," she suggested once as she watching him scanning a padd with for possible activities. Much to her annoyance, the next day, the padd said, "1300-1430 hours: Spontaneous Activity."  
  
For the most part though, Jekri did enjoy herself. Aside from the fact that she had a sentient computer posing a Vulcan by her side, she loved this. Despite the fact that they were on a mission, it felt more like a vacation than anything. They would do fun mountain activities, and casually ask how various people felt about unification.  
  
Most people looked like they needed to regurgitate at the mention of unification, however roundabout. Jekri was beginning to feel that the rumors of a unification group here were false; however, Spock was not showing any signs of going back to the capital any time soon. Jekri loved the leisure, so she did not say anything either. So summer turned into fall, and if it was possible, Telzah became even more beautiful, and colorful. Some time in what would be like Earth's October, Jekri and Spock decided to go repelling.  
  
"I have always wanted to jump off a huge mountain and soar like a bird of prey..." Jekri babbled excitedly as Spock steered the aircar to the top of a mountain. There was a wooden building that said "Restaurant and Repelling" on a sign. "I am so happy they made their purpose clear while using an exciting and original name!" Jekri laughed.  
  
"Their name is neither exciting nor original," Spock said.  
  
"It's called sarcasm, imbecile," Jekri said, rolling her eyes. Before Spock could point out that he was not an imbecile, Jekri got out and headed to the building. Spock came in a minute later and bought a private session, with an instructor, for the two of them, and turned around to see Jekri ordering a drink from the restaurant side.  
  
"Come on, love, there will be plenty of time to buy drinks later," he said.  
  
"But Telek, long aircar rides always make me thirsty and you never bring drinks in the 'car," Jekri complained.  
  
"Jekri, we are going repelling, remember? We will be eating lunch here, okay?" He smiled, and Jekri could not help but marvel once again at his acting skills.  
  
"Fine," she said, sighing, and followed him to the edge of a cliff, where a Romulan named Tovar awaited them with several complex looking ropes tied together with even more complex knots. He showed Jekri and Spock how to use them and explained about walking or bouncing down the cliff in a sitting position.  
  
"Okay, let's go," Jekri said, impatient and hyper because of the idea of bouncing down a cliff. She seized a nearby rope.  
  
"You need harnesses and helmets first," Tovar said.  
  
"Oh," Jekri said softly, embarrassed. However, they were soon ready to repel. Spock leaned over the edge in a sitting position, like Tovar showed them, and calmly began walking down. Jekri backed up to the edge and took a leap off, letting some rope out as she arched out.  
  
"Jekri, get in a sitting position or your entire body will crash against the cliff," Spock said as he attempted to stop her by throwing an arm out.  
  
"Please make sure you do everything I mention, as it could be important, Tovar said dryly. Jekri lowered herself to a sitting position, then turned back to Spock, who had begun walking down the face once more.  
  
"You were worried, weren't you," she teased.  
  
"Vulcans do not worry," he whispered, though Tovar was concentrating on his own ropes and not their conversation.  
  
"You so were," she said, and before he could respond again, she bounced of the wall again and landed clumsily a few feet below. Spock rolled his eyes ever so slightly and followed the Romulan down the mountain. They settled into a routine, with Jekri far ahead of the others. However, she did stop to watch when the Tovar tried to show Spock how to safely bounce.  
  
"I do not enjoy bounced. Walking is fine for me," Spock said.  
  
"Sir, I assure you, it is quite fun and safe when done correctly. Imagine you are one of those ancient 'bouncy balls' and just have fun!" he said.  
  
"I am not a bouncy ball," Spock said in confusion. Jekri doubled over laughing.  
  
"Telek, you have got let go sometime!" she laughed. To Tovar, she added, "My husband gets locked into quite a dull routine at work. I imagine he has forgotten how to have fun. Telek, come down here. Bounce with me!" Seriously wished he had never heard of repelling, Spock joined her... by walking, of course. She grabbed his hand.  
  
"Push out with your feet when I say 'go.' Go!" Jekri screamed. Instinctively, Spock shoved himself off the wall and found himself being carried through the air with Jekri.  
  
"I believe that I finally understand the human concept of being 'off the wall,'" Spock said, right before they landed again. But after that, Spock bounced down the wall with no more protests. The three reached the bottom in good time, two of them very happy, one pretending to be very happy.  
  
"That was fun, wasn't Telek?" Jekri said, winking at him.  
  
"I loved it!" Spock said with very out of character enthusiasm that Jekri knew was only surface deep.  
  
"Now I can finally get out of this uncomfortable harness! You would think that after so many centuries of repelling, someone would design a comfortable one!" Jekri babbled on.  
  
"No, we have to climb back up the mountain," Tovar pointed out.  
  
"What!? I thought there would be a lift or something!" Jekri exclaimed.  
  
"Part of the fun is experiencing things like this," Tovar said, clearly puzzled at her immediate assumption that they would only repel.  
  
"Darling, let us just try rock climbing here. You seemed to like the mini cliff we scaled when we first arrived at Telzah," Spock pointed out.  
  
"Oh right," Jekri said, and waited impatiently to climb throughout Tovar explanation of climbing procedures.  
  
'This is more of Jim's type of thing...' Spock found himself thinking. His human half missed his supposedly late friend a lot at times like this. But he could not allow sentiment to get in the way of his task. It was illogical to dwell on the past.  
  
Despite Spock's logic, Jekri realized that Spock was more subdued the rest of the day. Coming from a Vulcan, it was barely noticeable, but after spending every day with him for several weeks, she could notice. She wondered what caused it, and if she could ever grow to like and understand this strange creature enough to help him at times like these.


	6. Frosty Fun

This is (sob) probably the last chapter in over a month. For reasons, see my bio. I am going to miss all of you so much! Warning: major, major hints for upcoming chapters! R&R please! I got NO reviews last chapter. Reviewers get a nice lovely personal note, even if they are flames! (major hint number one)  
  
The days grew shorter and colder, and still Spock showed no sign of wanting to leave. Not a single person the two had met was at all warm to the idea of unification. Jekri figured there was no pro-unification group and the rumors were made up as a distraction or something.  
  
"Maybe the rumors meant to say 'Telvah,'" Jekri said, pointed the other town out on the map of the continent Spock had on his padd.  
  
"No, because the rumors also said it was a small, mountain town, and Telvah is not in the mountains, nor is it small," he pointed out.  
  
One morning, some weeks later, Spock and Jekri woke to two inches of snow on the ground, with some still falling, though lightly. They agreed not to go anywhere that day, as snow was rather new to both of them. Coming from a desert planet, Spock had only seen snow before on away missions, and had never heard of things like "snowball fights" and "snowmen." In the area of the capital where Jekri lived, there was so much traffic, it was hard for the snow to even reach the ground. The little that did turned gray because of so many Romulans and ground cars.  
  
At breakfast, Symakhos announced a snow sculpture contest that was being held in three days for the city. Taveth and Jekri immediately turned to each other and began planning what type of sculpture they would build. Spock gave the most minute roll of his eyes possible and returned to his breakfast.  
  
As Telzah was a ski resort town, snow continued to accumulate all day. Jekri and Spock spent the morning on a loveseat by an old fashioned wood fire, Spock reading, and Jekri trying to read, but unable to concentrate. Not that she could concentrate on any one thing for very long. That afternoon, Taveth decided to teach Spock and Jekri how to have snowball fight. She enlisted the help of several children who were staying there.  
  
"I do not understand the purpose of this activity," Spock said as he help Taveth scoop snow onto the front wall of what she said was "their fort."  
  
"Telek, you have to lighten up! Have some fun! That is 'the purpose of the activity,'" she mimicked.  
  
"If you were trying to mimic me, I said 'this.' You, incorrectly, said 'the.'"  
  
"You sound like a Vulcan," Taveth commented with a shudder of revulsion.  
  
"I most certainly am not," Spock said. With that, he grabbed one of the snowballs Jekri was making and threw it at Taveth, where it hit her in the face.  
  
"You asked for it!" Taveth laughed. She grabbed another snowball and threw it at Spock, who ducked. Jekri, seeing what was going on, joined in... helping "her husband" of course. However, to her, the funniest part by far was when she and Spock ducked behind the wall of the fort the children had made and abandoned, preferring to fight in the open.  
  
"Am I acting sufficiently emotional to distract Taveth from the second when I acted Vulcan twenty-two minutes and three point eight seconds ago?" Jekri could not answer, as she was laughing so hard.  
  
That evening, Spock, Jekri, and Taveth sat in the living area with large mugs of hot chocolate. Spock was especially grateful for this, having spent the entire day wondering why anyone would want to live on a planet that had a winter cooler than seventy degrees.  
  
Three days later, there were about six feet of snow in the untouched areas, including the large meadow where the snow sculpture contest was to be held. Here the citizens and vacationers of Telzah gathered. Jekri and Taveth had decided on a simple sculpture involving two people on skis kissing each other. Spock's human side felt sure that Jekri had done this just to annoy him. His Vulcan side ignored the surprisingly logical assumption.  
  
Jekri herself knew that this was true. That was the only reason she had decided on that sculpture in the first place. Taveth had wanted them to be merely standing, but Jekri had overruled her. She was amazed that Spock had still agreed to help them. But then, it did allow him another chance to act emotional.  
  
"Okay people!" the man in charge of the contest said. "Start building your sculptures at eleven and finish at four. Winners will be announced at five. Go!"  
  
"First, we must make a large mound of snow," Spock said. "Then we can carve out the rough shapes. Once this is done, we add finer details."  
  
"My perfectionist husband," Jekri muttered loud enough for Taveth to hear.  
  
"I heard that!" Spock said teasingly from where he was already beginning to gather the snow. Jekri laughed, though she knew it was all an act, and went over to help him.  
  
"When did you go from 'completely and totally annoying' to 'tolerable every other millennium'?" she hissed.  
  
"I was not aware that such a change had been made in your mental evaluation of me," Spock whispered back in an even and calm tone.  
  
"Don't worry. This is an 'off' millennium," she whispered back.

Jekri actually found herself enjoying herself as the day went by. Even Spock looked downright happy... for a Vulcan. Taveth walked to a nearby café and picked up some hot chocolate and lunch, and they made a small picnic right there in the snow when noon came. The only annoying part was when Jekri was beginning to make the male's legs.  
  
"Jekri, dearest, you are scraping too much snow off the left leg," Spock said. "He will collapse if you do not put more snow back on."  
  
"Telek... it is absolutely fine. He looks fat if you put too much snow on. He'll hold." No sooner had she said this than the poor man's left side slid off the rest of his body to become one with the snow on the ground. Jekri stuck her tongue out at Spock and began to gather the fallen snow.  
  
At four, the three stepped back from their sculpture with pride. Thanks to Spock's precision, theirs was by far the most detailed. However, the man's left leg still looked fat, even to Spock. Nothing could be done though. Jekri and Taveth decided to browse a few nearby shops during the judging. The headed off, laughing.  
  
Spock eyebrows drew together thoughtfully as he watched them go. This was about as much emotion as the Vulcan could show. He was thinking back on Jekri's odd statement about annoyance and tolerability. She confused him more than even Doctor McCoy. Yet, surprisingly, this absurd statement made sense. He found that over the season, he had grown accustomed to her presence... in a good way.  
  
This was all very illogical though. He shut his human side out and pulled out his padd. He had to plan the next week's activities. There was then the report back to Unification HQ, and he had to respond to messages from Saavik and Uhura... yes, there was plenty to occupy him for now.  
  
At five, Jekri waited nervously with about thirty other groups for the winners to be called out. Her sculpture was good, but so were several of the others she saw.  
  
"All of your sculptures were very good," the Romulan said. Jekri and Taveth laughed softly at this lie, noticing a sculpture that looked like a mound of snow that only vaguely resembled a warbird. "Honorable Mention goes to the one we have titled 'Commander M'Ret.'" Three teenage boys went up to receive their award. The sculpture itself had a Romulan commander with a disruptor at the ready. It was not bad either.  
  
"Third Place goes to the one we have entitled '3D Chess,'" he said, and an older woman went up to receive this award. It was simply a sculpture of a 3D chess set, but it was remarkably well done.  
  
"Second Place goes to the one we have titled 'Mountainside Couple,'" he continued.  
  
"Yes!" Jekri screeched, jumping up and down. She and Taveth hugged and the three went up to review their award- one day of free skiing for each of them.  
  
"By the way, was that a sculpture of you two?" the Romulan asked Spock. Taveth and Jekri both turned to him, Jekri with a very evil grin on her face. The two people actually did look somewhat like them, aside from the fat left leg.  
  
"Do you really think my leg is that fat?" Spock asked, grinning. The crowd burst into laughter and he walked over to the statue with the girls.  
  
"I think, that after sixty or something years, you have finally learned to tell a joke!" Jekri whispered in astonishment.  
  
"That was practice in emotional behavior," Spock whispered back. "I do not think that it should be classified as a true 'joke.'"  
  
"So can we go skiing next week?" Jekri asked, this time out loud.  
  
"Certainly, to celebrate our glorious victory!" Spock said emotionally.  
  
"I built the stupid thing too, you annoying lovebirds," Taveth muttered. "You just want to make like a statue and kiss on top of a mountain." Jekri laughed again, but this time it was at poor Spock's confusion.


	7. G G undecided

Data: I am so happy you like it! And cracks? Spock? Well, this _is_ fanfiction, after all... anything at all can happen!

Bookwormqueen: Thank you! As for the kissing thing, read ahead to find out!

Jack Sparrow fanatic: I am back, sorry about that. Romance... read ahead to find out!

Ster J: Thank you! Spock did hang out with humans a bit much, hmm? :D

TrekkyGirl55: I have not updated in forever, so it would be hypocritical to mind you not reviewing in forever. And Spock did grin in This Side of Paradise. It was weird, I agree! Glad you like it!

I have finally updated! Major apologies for the ultra-long wait. This should be a nice long chapter (for me) though to somewhat make up for it. There are probably only one or two chapters left. Also, I have proved that you really are meanest to those you love most! Seriously though, Spock on skis... you have been warned! R&R please!

"Jekri," Spock began on the morning they were to use the skiing passes they won, "I do not know how to ski."

"Don't worry, Spock, I'll teach you. I went skiing a bunch with my family when I was little and though I have not been skiing lately, my body still remembers. It gets to be unconscious after a while. And we start on green circles of course."

"I fail to see how green circles are relevant to skiing."

"We have a long way to go," Jekri sighed. "Ask Taveth- I am going to breakfast."

The aircar ride to the ski resort was short, thankfully. Spock drove, while Jekri and Taveth tried to explain to him all the skiing terms. Spock, of course, had never heard of things like "green circles," "blue squares," or "black diamonds." He did not know how to get on or off a chairlift, and he had never used passes, skis, poles, or boots. Thankfully, it being the twenty-fourth century, ski boots were no longer awkward and heavy. Lift passes were tiny electronic squares that adhered to one's jacket instead of annoying paper zipper pulls. At last, however, they arrived.

The three went off to rent skis, poles, and boots, and luckily the lines were not _too_ long, so they got out in half an hour. Jekri and Taveth decided to take Spock down the practice slope. After showing Spock how to use his very easy, no hassle, twenty-fourth century binding on his skis, and a near fatal accident with chair number 27 of the chair lift, they were at the top of the hill. Chairlifts, unfortunately, were one of the few things that had not improved much.

"Okay, Telek, just do what I do," Jekri said. She set off slowly, keeping a perfect wedge and doing two turns before stopping halfway down the small hill. Spock set off after her. He did surprising well, for a Vulcan, but then, he learned fast. Unfortunately, halfway through his first turn, his tips crossed. Spock got turned around, fell backwards, and slid down the hill headfirst on his back. It took Jekri a full three minutes before she could stop laughing enough to help him.

"Perhaps I had better teach you how to fall and get up first," Jekri said with a grin.

"Um, Jekri, Telek? Do you two mind if I go do a few bowls and mogul runs? No offense, but this is not exactly what I had in mind... Can we meet for lunch?" Taveth said after she joined them, stopping with a flourish to spray snow all over Spock.

"Oh, sorry," Jekri said with a laugh. "Telek and I will be fine on our own. I would not want to hinder your enjoyment."

"Thanks," Taveth said, and skied towards the first chairlift that actually went somewhere.

"I fail to understand what Taveth means when she says she is going to do some bowls and mogul runs," Spock stated as run finally got to his feet again. Jekri sighed.

"I will introduce you to those this afternoon. Justâ€ don't cross your tips, and for the Praetor's sake, at least _try _to have fun. And no, the Praetor does not have anything to do with this." Spock closed his mouth.

As already pointed out, Spock was a fast learner. His Vulcan mind analyzed everything and put together the best way to ski. He watched other, more experienced skiers, and put their techniques to use. After two green circle runs, he convinced Jekri to move on to blue squares. She did not need much convincing, as the greens were all boring and easy to her. On one blue run, Jekri discovered an Earth invention that excited her to no end.

"Spock, look!" she said with excitement, pointing. "That thing is called a half pipe! Snowboarders generally use them, but skiers can too. I used to be really good when I was a teenager. Watch me, then ski around it to the bottom, where I will meet you."

"That is logical," Spock said. Not even his logic could temper Jekri's excitement however, and so she skied off to the half pipe. It felt wonderful to be in one of these again, skiing up one side to come down and ski up the other. Once she looked back, saw Spock, and grinned at him. She could have sworn he grinned back for 3.8 hundredths of a second. Suddenly she realized that, despite being on easy trails with an overly logical Vulcan, she was having fun. Who could understand it? Oh well. She was no Vulcan- not everything was logical in her life.

"That is a fascinating device," Spock said of the half pipe when she rejoined him.

"I assume that, translated from Spock-talk, that means it looked really fun and you want to try it?" Jekri asked mildly.

"If you wish to put it in those terms, that would be accurate enough," Spock said, looking like he was being forced to test McCoy's new medical experiment. Jekri grinned at the excitement his human side was not showing and skied off towards the lift, not bothering to wait for Spock.

Spock wasâ€ not good at the half-pipe. First he did not go up nearly high enough on the sides, and when Jekri showed him how to go higher, he went too high and nearly did a three-sixty flip. As it was, he got to two-seventy and caused all traffic to the half pipe to stop for five minutes. Jekri laughed throughout the entire incident, and could barely help Spock get up on his skis again. At last, with many... experiments... they skied to Mid-Mountain Lodge- Special: Earth Goose roasting in a Romulan Wine Sauce.

"Where would the veruuls here get gooses all the way from Earth?" Taveth asked scornfully as they skied up to where she was waiting.

"They are called geese, and in 2206, a Romulan named-" Spock began.

"Some person stole some and established a goose farm a hundred years ago," Jekri said, interrupting Spock and giving him a warning look. "Honestly, Taveth, you have no idea how hard it is to live with a historian for a husband, right Telek?"

"Oh shut up," Spock muttered, trying to look peeved and not succeeding.

"Lighten up," Taveth told him.

"Fine, shall we go into space and out an airlock? I would be weightless then," Spock said, silently being thankful for listening to McCoy's millions of stupid jokes. They helped in situations like this. The three of them laughed and headed inside. As it was, none of them ordered the Earth Goose roasting in a Romulan Wine Sauce. Lunch was a quick affair, as none of them wanted cramps from eating too much while skiing. In what seemed like no time, they were outside in the cold winter sun again. Taveth and Jekri turned to Spock with identical evil smiles.

"Telek, dearest, I indulged you for the morning, right?" Jekri asked slowly. Seeing something he might not be completely comfortable with, but also seeing no logic in that, Spock nodded. "Well then, you have to indulge me for a time," Jekri said with a sweet smile. "That means we will be doing things likeâ€ double black diamonds! Bowls! Moguls! Itty-bitty, twisty-turny paths where there is a very big chance of smashing into very solid trees!"

"That seems illog- fun!" Spock said. The three caught a few chairlifts to some of the highest runs, and Spock soon found what the girls had meant. They went down the bowl (Spock falling headfirst down the near-vertical slope), over a four foot high jump (Spock ate snow), through a tree run (everyone wondered if Spock's face would be permanently flat from smashing into trees), and at last emerged at a chairlift (Spock collapsed again, but merely from relief).

"Come on, Telek," Jekri said, smiling slightly and offering him a hand for the millionth time. "Let Taveth do some more of those runs and I will show you how to do some of the high mogul runs." The three of them rode up the chairlifts once more, Taveth parting company with them at the entrance to the bowls marked: Caution! Experts Only! Spock and Jekri at last rode a two-person, slow chairlift up to the highest point on this particular mountain, second-highest in the resort. Spock found that the mogul runs were appealing to the way he skied.

"That, translated from Spock-talk, means mogul runs are fun," Jekri commented dryly. , Spock did not bother to argue. His human side was nagging at him to say, "Affirmative" anyway. After four runs though, they left so Jekri could show him how to handle bowls. That did not work, as Spock ended up losing his balance, crashing in Jekri, who crashed into a random kid in front of her, and they all fell down the face of the mountain. None of them were hurt luckily, expect if one counted the fact that Jekri nearly died of lack of air because she was laughing so hard. Inevitably though, at around five, when the sun was setting, they ended up back at the top of the mountain.

"I don't think I could leave this place now, Spock," Jekri said softly, looking out at the beautiful scenery lit up by the orange sun low in the sky in front of them. It was a beautiful spot, and even that most logical of Vulcans, Spock, was moved by the magic of that place. Was this what that complicated emotion, love, felt like? He... enjoyed... Jekri's presence. Whether she was making a silly joke or teasing him, to when they were just sitting in silence, to talking with other Romulans, he was comfortable with her. He could no longer imagine how he lived before she was there. Not that he had ever been a person pro-imagination.

Jekri was wrestling with similar thoughts. Bathed in the glow of the sun, he husband looked absolutely radiant. Whereas before his over-logical ness had seriously annoyed her, no she found it endearing. She found she did not want to stop this mission, stop being Spock's "wife." She enjoyed his company, and she could easily see herself living with him forever... having his children... just standing on a mountain and watching the sun set. This must be what true love is. She had never felt like this about any man before.

"Is it so bad to let yourself be human sometimes?" Jekri asked Spock, dreading and needing the answer.

"No," Spock said in a whisper. They leaned towards each other, and there on the mountain, they made like a statue and had their first kiss with each other. They made their way much more slowly down the mogul run, holding hands. Spock knew that this was much more than the love of pon farr, which he had experienced before. That was instinctive, animalistic need. This was so much deeper, so much more profound. Spock had never been as in touch with his human side before, and he did not want it to end. And maybe, just maybe, it did not have to. Maybe he had finally found a place where he could be truly happy.


End file.
